Unlucky Ski Day

Lauren-

It's another beautiful winter day. Cold, but beautiful. And the perfect amount of snow for a ski. I exit my car and get out my skis from the back. It's snowing lightly, making my face freezing. I pull up the hood of my ski jacket, but a few locks of my blond hair stay loose in the wind.

I'm ready for some exercise, so I take one of the longer trails. The wind and snow are now both pointed in my direction. It's so cold out. I start skiing with my earbuds in so I can listen to some music. I ski on steady ground for a few kilometers until I reach an uphill. It's a two way hill, but I've never seen anyone come down it before, so I don't pay attention. 

I start using the herring-bone technique around halfway up the hill. I hum along to my music, and I don't notice the skier coming down the hill before it's too late.  

***

Alice-

As I go flying down the hill I feel free in the wind. I don't notice the skier in front of me until I am about ten meters away. They don't seem to notice me. I try to stop or swerve, but I can't. 

"Track!" I scream, "Track!"

The last thing I feel is the cold air before I black out.

***

Lauren-

I wake up surrounded by bright lights and a lot of... white. Everywhere. My head throbs. I'm in a hospital, but I don't know how I got here. I can't concentrate on much else, I feel dizzy. A wave of sickness sweeps over me. I might throw up. I try to get up, but I notice a sling on my right arm and I think my leg is broken. I try not to move, but I still feel terrible. A nurse comes in. 

"She's awake."  

"I'll be right there." Says a male voice. A doctor, perhaps. 

"Try not to move, Lauren." Says the nurse sweetly. "The doctor will be right in to check on you."

I was right. He is a doctor.

"What happened?" I ask. I don't remember anything. 

"Um, well, it's a lot to process." She stammers. 

"You collided with another skier." the doctor says, coming into the room. "You're lucky someone found you two in the time that they did, otherwise you two could've been left there unconscious in the cold."

Now I remember a little bit. 

"Was the other skier okay?" I ask.

"Barely a scratch on her other than a minor concussion. You got it much worse."

"When will I be able to go home?" I realize. It's almost Christmas, and I want to see my family.

"You may be spending Christmas here." He replies. "But don't worry, your family can come and visit. 

"Thanks." I respond. I know they can't do anything different. Why did I have to go skiing today? How plain unlucky.

***

Alice-

I dream of flying down a hill on my skis. Wait, I did fly down a hill. And I crashed into someone. I open my eyes. I'm laying in a hospital bed with my head propped up on a pillow. I try to sit up, and wince. Ow. 

However, it's not that bad of a head injury. Just a sharp headache. 

"She's awake." A doctor says. 

I lift my head. "How bad is it?"

"Oh, you're fine." A nurse tells me. "You'll be able to leave here in a few hours, once we find someone to drive you home."

"I can drive." I say. 

"Not with a concussion you can't. You're very lucky, though. The other woman had it much worse than you."

Oh, no. I feel terrible. She wouldn't be in the hospital if it wasn't for me. 

"Will she be all right?" 

"She'll recover eventually. However. she'll be in here for much longer than you."

I feel awful. I should've been more careful. I should've paid more attention. Oh well, it's too late now.